afghanistan and diplomatic means to shorten the operations there. and later we'll talk with reporters about the process of scheduling their 2012 primaries and caucuses. "washington journal" is next. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] . .

>>host: syria is deploying its army to a number of cities hit by unrest. it is claimed that the government is shooting and killing demonstrators. we will begin with phone calls from republicans on the. you may have seen part of our coverage yesterday from the conservative principles conference that took place in des moines, iowa. we replied earlier this morning on c-span and we want to hear from republicans and we want to ask you what issues will be defined the gop primary? if you are a republican living in the eastern or central time zone the number is on your screen. let me emphasize that for the first 40 minutes, we would ask that republicans on the call. it will be interesting for democrats to hear what the

republicans think will shape of this 2012 republican primary. "the new york daily news" pay tribute to geraldine ferraro who passed away yesterday. she battled cancer for the last five years. gaddafi forces are in retreat is a front-page story. a similar headline this morning from the front page of "the washington post." they say the days of coalition air strikes to have pushed open the door to western libya for anti-government rebel forces. it is potentially reversible but the rebel gains on the ground were the clearest indication that intensive air strikes carried out by the u.s., french and naval assets over the past week have softened up the libyan military considerably.

meanwhile, the front page of " the new york times" - below the fold in the new york times, there's a story on the event recovered live on c-span yesterday. this is prompting us to ask republicans to define what will define the gop primary.

with that, republicans only -- 202 the area code. our first call is from ardmore, oklahoma. caller: good morning. i believe the people of united states, their first concern is the economy. another thing we have to be concerned about is full disclosure. in this administration under obama, there has never been such hit in things. he spends money like going to brazil and giving out this

money. they owe us tons of money. under the clinton years clinton lent them $100 billion. it goes on and on and on. when did congress lose the power of the purse? the other thing which is the greatest thing in our nation is we have to come back to god and of this nation repents if my people called by my name on themselves in prayer and turn from their wicked ways, i will hear from heaven and i will heal their land. if this nation wanted, we can start prayer meetings all over this country. god will turn things around otherwise we may wind up with another four years of obama and lose our nation to the un, the world court's, and sharia l aw. host: here is another headline.

new hope, kentucky, republicans only, what issues will define the upcoming presidential primary? caller: the right to life of every child from conception to natural death will be honored and given the dignity of law. there is no law against killing a baby even before it is born. host: thank you for the call. you can join the conversation on line at twitter. the consensus and e-mail. -- you can send us an e-mail.

caller: good morning. one of the primary issues that will define them is reality. we have hidden behind abortion and other issues. as a republican, i think that reality has demonstrated that it is on real to be so staunchly anti-compromising in this society. we want to talk about reality- based solutions, not just our solutions. when they do the tent will grow. until they talk about reality and not what i feel like reality means we have to compromise not just because i wanted my way but because we want this country to grow. host: thank you for the call. politico has this headline.

the former governor has traveled the country with a focus on the early states. mike is joining us from baltimore, good morning. caller: i don't think there is one defining issue that would define my position in the primary. i am more interested in the candidate that is possibly able to beat the president. host: who do think that is? caller: right now i don't know.

it has to be somebody practical. we as republicans sometimes get caught up in this ideological discussion and i don't want that to be happen. host: michelle bachmann is one of the ones who was speaking yesterday. the entire event that began at 10:00 eastern time wrapped up at 5:30. it has been posted on our website at c-span.org. here are her comments. >> i am here in iowa because the 2012 election is extremely important. how many of you feel the same way? [applause] oh yes all of our chips are riding on 2012. the candidate for 2012 has to know a few things. we have to clearly diagnose and understand the times we are living in. they have to have solutions for

the problems that america faces. perhaps even more important they have to have the political courage to stand up to the interests and stand up to washington d.c., stand up to the big spenders and do what has to be done. that is what we needed our candidate for 2012. [applause] because we are a nation of risk takers. that is how the nation started. i am an iowan. i was born here almost 55 years ago to the week. i am a seventh generation iowan that is even better. host: comments of michelle bachmann yesterday in des moines, iowa.

janine is joining us from charleston, south carolina. we are hearing from republicans only to find out what issues you think as a member of the gop will be most important in the upcoming republican primary. caller: good morning. i really hope this is not going to be an election based solely on conservative ideological religious beliefs. i hope that we will take a long hard look at our economy and the nation's security and avoid that area. i would like to see as be able to envelop and keep the

conservatives in our party. host: our twitter page -- sean is joining us from champaign, illinois, good morning. caller: hi, i really don't understand why you are only letting republicans speak about this issue. i think we really need bipartisan support in this country. host: it is not a question a bipartisan, we just want to hear from republicans what you think if you are a republican will shape the upcoming presidential primary. caller: as a republican, i think that fiscal responsibility is a big problem and that the president needs to get more bipartisan support about this

issue. we cannot surmount of this debt otherwise. the republicans have to work with the democrats. host: thank you for the call. a longtime observer covers politics for the associated press and joins us live from des moines guest: nice to see you. host: this is the third conservative gathered within one month in iowa. the second had a number of republican party activists and presidential hopefuls in attendance. what did you take away from the events yesterday? guest: we saw the potential candidates seemed to be focused on president obama and democrats. they were not going any distinction between themselves. it strikes me that they will have to start setting out distinctions among themselves. they're not doing that yet. host: we are asking our

listeners and viewers this morning, to hear from republicans, what issues will define the upcoming primary. it seems like it's coming from two different points of view yesterday, foreign policy and domestic issues such as the budget and the deficit. also, the social issues like abortion and health care. guest: right, they focused exclusively on domestic issues. host: what does that tell you about the state of the republican party in iowa? guest: the republican party is shifting very far to the right. in the last colchis cycle about 65% of -- in last election cycle, about 65% of the republicans were focused on

foreign issues and that has shifted. host: there is a challenge by a social conservative in the primary. what lessons can some of the more moderate republicans take away from the victory last year? guest: that was an individual election and success by terry brandstead who put together a better campaign and overcome a challenge to the republican party. host: 1 will the next event happen? guest: it will probably be a straw poll this summer. the iowa republican party will sponsor that. host: don old trunk will be out there in des moines. is he serious about running for president? guest: i think he is serious but i don't know if the republicans are serious about him. host: mike glover thank you for being with us.

charles is joining us from new york city. caller: good morning. i find it very difficult to be somewhat proud of my republican party because they always use they always talk about the budget and the trillions of dollars that president obama is spending. my party seemed to use the democratic party. granted, there are things they have done that i don't fully agree with. for them to run and use another person as their political agenda such asca the suchre and health care, life -- political agenda such as obama care and

health care, i find it appalling. if you deduct the amount of money that my party spent for eight years from the budget -- were the budget is right now -- and look at the amount of money that obama spent, it is not one trillion dollars. i wish my party would run on their own merit instead of using the obamacare which got them into the majority of the house because they used something that is helping people. host: health care and the debate in congress is the topic of our cspan "newsmakers" program at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. we will have the head of

planned parenthood. from twitter -- deborah is joining us from meridian, mississippi, good morning. caller: the first thing off the top of my head waking up is the economy, of course. when we have a robust economy we have to have energy. we have to have goods cheaper, a lot of it if we are going to build this economy. it will affect everything in this country. it will affect everything all over the world when you try to drill. we have to have oil the big eagle oil, bring it on, drill baby drill. i want my republicans to take it to obama. don't be a little wimp. read to him and tell the country

what he has been doing with us. every day, i look at the senate and house and i see those committees, the little evil things they are doing to stick it to us every day. the regulation and all that crap they are doing -- a real friend to israel, not just talk. be a real friend to israel. they are sticking it to as with all the regulations. bring it to them. host: thank you for the call. we are asking republicans only what issues will define the gop primary. tonight, our conversation series with the likely gop candidates continues and tonight will be the former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. the entire interview airs tonight at 6:30 p.m. >> when did you begin to think

about running for president? >> it is a process and continues to be a process. i was just out in 2009 and felt the need to get out there and mix it up with the advent of obamacare coming down the pike. when i saw what was happening in washington, d.c. i could not set on the sidelines. it is -- i am not a tea party guy. i have the same motivations as a lot of the tea party people. i felt like this was a tipping point, that if the government to cover the health care system america as we know it, as i was given it and my grandfather and father came to this country that place would no longer exist. i went out and started talking and working on campaigns and helping people around the

country. i tried to stir people up and provide a message. i got a lot of feedback saying that i should think about doing this again, running for something. i kept walking down the path. i found out that when i went to iowa cspan covered my speech. other folks started to pay attention. they ask me if i was running for president. they said if i was in iowa i must be running for president. i kept going back to iowa and new hampshire and south carolina. every time i did, i got covered. i wanted to be heard. host: senator rick santorum to night on "the road to the white house." news this morning about the upcoming primary schedule from "the washington examiner"

host: the state republicans are saying they would keep the plum number 3 spot in the political calendar. later in the program, we will talk more about how states are dealing with primaries caucuses, and budget cutbacks.

that is later on "washington journal." russellville ky, good morning. caller: good morning the answer to our problem is big. we are a country that is not afraid to go big. there are many believers in god still out there. as a country that has gone big we all believe in god. we have all become so afraid of standing up for what god believes in. this country has just come apart. i am -- i believe in god and i am not afraid to say it. host: from our twitter page --

from the associated press -- he focused more on the economy and deficit spending. >> i say this election needs to be about policy. when president obama was elected, the american people foughthought there were be a focus on the economy and job creation. the policies of this administration in every case have made it harder to create jobs and less likely to have economic growth.

from the beginning the president has called for the largest tax increase in american history. it is a tax increase that falls primarily on employers. his first two years we have the idea of the largest tax increase in american history. how can potential employers decide to hire more people when they are getting slapped with a huge tax increase? host: mississippi governor haley barbour in attendance yesterday and here are some photographs. this is the conservative principles conference and former speaker newt gingrich and governor barbara were among those speaking. we are asking republicans would issues you think will define the upcoming republican primary. rosario is joining us from new orleans, good morning. caller: good morning.

my concern is that the republicans are starting to make us look like we are a bunch of the electorate in it. -- a letter idiots. these countries are fighting for democracy all over the world and our republican leaders are trying to make us feel like we are under a dictatorship. they set the agenda for us and they want us to follow it. they sent these talking points and want us to follow it. they make absolutely no sense. we are not looking at the real issues and concerns. we are throwing talking points up. if republicans want to win this thing, start saying -- stop saying no to a everything, come up with good solutions and bring those points up. as republicans, we can listen and the cipher which point we like -- we can decipher which point we like and we can vote

accordingly. host: thank you for the call, " the new york daily news" -- in 2008, he raked in more than $40 million in manhattan and harlem. the president is starting to raise money for 2012. tennessee, good morning. caller: good morning how are you today?

i believe we need to start standing on our principles and not wimping out every time we turn around in the congress and senate. it seems we get a good strong talking point like the budget or the military and we don't capitalize on it or stand firm. we need to start standing firm on what we believe and take advantage when we have that advantage. it is a war we have a budget problem we have a spending problem and we need to start standing on those corp. vegetables as opposed -- we need to understand that we have to work with people but we cannot keep giving up our principles and giving in. we need to stand firm and bring this country back to where it used to be. thank host: difficult, from twitter --

going back to "the new york times" -- the issues have been amplified and might define the issues of the republican candidate in ways that could rise in a nationally. next is los angeles, good morning. caller: i would like to say that i agree with the former head of the binladen unit at the cia when he says that we need to dump israel. they are not our friends and have never been our friends. they bombed -- they torpedo the u.s.s. liberty. we are in two wars that have drained our economy due to apac

in the largest lobby in this country host: when you say don't israel, what are you referring to? caller: we have conflict with almost every arab country. we have backed up these dictators just to keep israel safe. israel is an enemy. they have never helped us. host: how have they been an enemy to the u.s.? caller: they bombed a the u.s.s. liberty. host: is your proof? caller: look it up. it is common knowledge that is not disputed. they assassinated the prime minister. i forget the name of the guy who was assassinated was the prime minister. for signing a peace deal.

that is not disputed information. host: i would say it probably is disputed. caller: you will look foolish when you look it up. hapac is a foreign agent and have gotten us into two wars and have gotten us into conflict with everybody in the middle east. host: we will talk more about the situation in the middle east on our sunday roundtable coming up at about 10-50 minutes. we will go to homestead florida, good morning. caller: good morning what will make the difference is the transparency of the republican party and morals and values and doggett commitment and our lord jesus christ, one god and one spirit. host: modesto, california, good

morning. caller: i used to vote democrat and now i went republican. after listening to the conservatives all i heard was propaganda.. a will destroy this country. i'm going back to democrats. i think barack obama is in bed with the republicans. we are in trouble with both democrats and republicans. thank you. host: muscateen, iowa, good morning. caller: i am just a republican. i think job creation is the number-one thing we need to focus on right now. the unemployment rate is hovering around 10%. i think we need to secure the borders. we have a major problem with the

mexican mafia and the illegal emigrants. they have taken over the construction industry and destroyed it. "regular americans cannot get regular jobs and more. i work instruction and i have seen it firsthand. -- i work construction and i have seen it firsthand. it is all mexican. my boss just want mexicans to work for him. he does not to pay taxes or insurance. he knows they are illegal. those are a few things we need to concentrate on. host: it is early but at this stage, will you participate and do you have an early favorite next year? caller: yes, i will participate. i will wait and see how it plays out and who will be the best candidate. i will definitely vote for a republican.

we've got to get some jobs in here and get control on the border. those are the two main things. host: from our twitter page -- cecile richards is the president of planned parenthood and she will be here at 10:00 eastern time. house republicans are trying to cut funding for planned parent as a way to reduce the u.s. budget deficit. this is part of the exchange from the program today. >> how can you describe the funding for planned parenthood as only a political issue given the stress of the budget deficit we are facing and the federal funds that are going to planned parenthood. how you justify given the state of the economy and the things

that lawmakers have to choose from in terms of what we can afford? guest: is important to remember what the house leadership did. they singled out plan para as saying we can no longer provide health care services under the federal program. by singling out planned parenthood, they did not save a dime out of the budget or the deficit. these services continue to go on and they are saying that the largest provider of the services can no longer provide them. from a fiscal point of view which is important we're all fiscal the conscious now we are the largest family planning provider and the most cost- effected. ive. we do it for much less cost, high quality care that is very important for it is important to distinguish the real budget issues from the political move that the housemaid, singling out planned parenthood.

the services that we provide through the federal programs are family planning, cancer screenings prenatal care, basic preventive care. host: cecile richards is the head of planned parenthood of america. she will join us at 10:00 eastern time here on c-span and cspan radio. from "the new york times" -- whenthere is a related story this morning from blumberg's businessweek.

investors are fretting over greece and ireland and will find their fiscal travails point it the largest public debt in japan hit a wall. the japanese debt is about double the size of its $5 trillion economy. it is not a question of whether they are too big to fail. many of the photographs have become part of the picture two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami struck japan. the crisis in japan and the impact on global economics. springfield, ill., back to your calls, republicans only, what issues will define the gop primary next year? good morning. caller: i think the biggest

issue is for whoever the candidate or is is for them to espouse conservative values. if they are very conservative in their policy or the programs that they put forth, that will attract a lot of the common americans whether they are democrats or republicans or independents. i think most americans espousing those views. to me, it will be about conservatism and pocketbook issues. it will be about whether or not they feel they are better off than they were four years ago. i don't see that happening. i think there is a malaise and a true conservative candidate will be able to marshal the forces to be elected in the next election. thank you very much for taking my call.

host: are you still with us? he hung up. chattanooga, tennessee, good morning. caller: good morning. i have dealt with apac. what we need to do as republicans, we need to point out that apac produced over 100 democratic congressmen and produced so many people in key positions in the state department who are jewish. they are deciding the foreign policy for the united states. as a republican, we need to point out what apac is doing with the democrats taking the policies of this country to the wrong direction host: the secretary of state is hillary clinton and she is christian. caller: she is but other key

positions, if you want to get a promotion, all the other positions are jewish. host: we are getting off track. phoenix, good morning. caller: hello there and good morning to everybody in america. i am an army veteran. the views that i am looking at for the republican party are obviously changing the tax code that will create a lot of -- a lot more in revenue. when you add jobs and you are creating jobs, you are creating more taxpayers. those taxpayers will create more revenue as well that goes into social security and things like that. until the republican party gets

off this conservative values pigeonholing people in conservative ways -- i am fiscally conservative -- until the republican party starts looking at the fiscally conservative republicans, they will not get my notever. host: do you have a candidate? caller: [laughter] i am still searching. i am not sure who was a good one out there. a lot of republicans are running but are not fiscally conservative. they are socially conservative and that is not our problem in

america. we are running huge budget. we're going into debt. i have two boys myself. they are 13 and 18 years old. i am really worried about that. until they get serious on revenues creating more revenues and by creating jobs which will create more revenue, it is very simple, republicans out there please listen -- you have to create jobs to create revenue which will fix all of our fiscal problems, social security, medicare. put more money into that by creating jobs, benigno. host: thank you for the call. the associated press --

>> the president, on march 3 said gaddafi has to go. at that point hepitted prestige and power have united states against a dictator who is been anti-american for over 40 years. i believe the only rational objective of the current intervention is to defeat gaddafi as rapidly as possible. i would do it by using egyptian, moroccan jordanian, and iraqi ground forces as advisers and as air controllers with the rebels using all western air power as decisively as possible. secretary gates explained a no- fly zone does not mean just killing airplanes. i think this is linguistically stupid. i have never seen a flying tank. [laughter]

if they wanted to create a suppressions own for the purpose of defeating the libyan military, be honest and say that is what we are doing. it is a totally different process once you get involved, i believe you get involved decisively and win quickly and to minimize casualties and you get it over with and you say publicly that we are getting rid of gaddafi. you want him gone. host: the comments of newt gingrich yesterday at the conservative principles conference in des moines iowa ,"the new york times" -- and from "the los angeles times" -- elizabethtown, ky, republicans only for the first 40 minutes of the program. what issues will define the upcoming gop primary?

are you with us? he hung up. let me show you some other headlines on this sunday morning paying tribute to geraldine ferraro who shattered the political picture. she never held elective office again after serving as the 1984 democratic vice-presidential but left an impact on the voting public when she made her vice presidential run, 24 women were serving in the house and the senate. 27 years later, there are 88. she ran for other offices including two bids for the u.s. senate. she felt in those attempts. she ran in 1992 falling short by about 10,000 votes in her bed against al d'amato. in 1984, geraldine ferraro was the running mate of walter

mondale. he broke brown to select a woman running and a national ticket. this is the scene in san francisco. >> tonight, the daughter of a woman whose highest call was a future for her children taught to our nation's oldest party about a future for us all. tonight, the daughter of working americans tell all americans that the future is within our reach if we are willing to reach for it. [applause] tonight, the daughter of an immigrant from italy has been chosen [applause]

has been chosen to run for president in the new land my father came to love. [applause] our faith that we can shape a better future is what the american dream is all about. the promise of our country is that the rules are fair. if you work hard and play by the rules, you can earn your share of america's blessing. those are they believe i learned from my parents. those are the values i taught my students as a teacher in the public schools of new york city. host: from 1984, geraldine ferraro as the vice-presidential for the democratic party. the headline in "the new york post"--

her remarks at the convention were part of the cspan video library and you can check it out at c-span.org. former ambassador thomas pickering will join us later in the program to talk about the middle east and the latest developments in syria and the response by the end ministration. the president will address the matter tomorrow evening at 7:00 eastern time. if we will have live coverage here. that topic will be dominant in the sunday morning programs. we have a preview of what to expect, all of which can be heard on cspan radio. >> good morning. at noon, we re-air the five network talk shows beginning with "me to the press." the topics will be libya the budget, and the 2012 election. post david gregory welcomes secretary of state clinton and defense secretary robert gates

and the ranking republican on the senate foreign relations committee, dick lugar of indiana. at 1:00, "this week, called jake tapper will be in today as host and he welcomes secretary clinton and defense secretary robert gates and will talk about the involvement in libya and top with a former defense secretary donald rumsfeld fox news sunday begins at 2:00 p.m. with post chris wallace welcoming senator john mccain and joe lieberman and former house speaker newt gingrich. at 3:00 p.m. eastern cnn "state of the union" re0-airs and they will have senator levin. at 4:00 p.m., it is "face the nation." he will have secretary clinton and secretary robert gates.

the network talk shows are brought to as a public service by the networks and cspan. that begins at noon. listen to them all on cspan radio, 90.1 in the washington d.c. area. you can listen online at cspanradio.org. >> i'm not interested in developing a strategy to win the primary. not be in a position to win the general. i have want to say that we did well everywhere. >> rick santorum sets down on the white house and a possible presidential bid in 2012, part of a series of interviews with potential gop candidates on c- span. throughout the month of april,

we will feature the top winners of this year's cspan studentcam contest. they submitted entries based on a washington, d.c. through my lens. during the program, meet the students who created them. stream the winning videos online. >> host: thank you for being with us. let's begin with some domestic news this morning. congress is coming back. the likelihood of government closing down rises. the president and vice president are back in town and congress coming back, what can we expect?

guest: we know the two parties are about $60 billion apart as far as how the government will be funded and obama is focused on libya and latin america last week. we have until april 8. both parties have been saying that they don't want to sign any more temporary agreements. you could be heading toward now or never. host: your colleague pointed out that there was a breakdown in negotiations last week between congressional leaders. where was the breakdown? guest: some of the democrats were more optimistic about how things were going and between the white house and republicans. we saw two different breakdowns last week. host: how serious is this if they don't reach an agreement? guest: i don't think we quite know. one issue is in terms of how it

affects the economy more broadly. we don't know big in effect that will have. we don't know how long it will last. both sides are trying to avoid the kind of shut down that will not last long. both sides want to avoid that situation. host: the president tomorrow will talk about our involvement in libya at 7:30 eastern t ime. guest: he is facing a lot questions at home and facing questions over there in the middle east. the questions he faces at home, many people in this country are wondering where the money is coming from to finance the campaign in libya.

they're wondering what the objectives of the campaign are. they're wondering what role the united states is playing as opposed to france and other members of nato. the questions being asked in the middle east -- is president obama getting rid of gaddafi. what position does he have on the libyan rebels in the post- gaddafi period? there are other issues concerning what is going on in jordan, syria, yemen. he suddenly has a lot to explain host: let me show you three have lies. -- let me show you three headlines.

guest: that is obviously a lot of different issues. essentially, is the same issue. that same issue is that there is a wave of change blowing through the middle east. the syrians have been going around saying what we saw happen

in tunisia and egypt and elsewhere would never happen in syria because syrians are committed to the positions that the syrian government have been taking vis a vis the issue of israel, for example. the impression you got from that is that they felt they were internally they felt internal secure and that is out the window. what we hear from the syrians demonstrating in various towns and cities in syria is not what sort of position do we have in israel. israel is not part of that narrative, yet. they are saying they want more freedoms and better conditions and so on. the palestinians hamas and others had a kind of talk about visiting and that would have been unthinkable.

he has come under a lot of pressure from palestinians in the west bank. hamas has come under a lot of pressure from palestinians in hezbollah. they are not happy about the leadership. there is a lot of movement on that. yemen -- the president of yemen has maneuvered his way out of dire straits in the past and he continues to find ways to maneuver around the issue of having to step down. the momentum seems to be on the protective side in yemen. many of them feel it is only a matter of days before he stepped down. the reason in part that we are seeing these pangs of birth if you will, in a place like yemen

is precisely what has happened in libya. tunisia and egypt happened rather quickly and peacefully. gaddafi decided to take the region in a different direction. he decided to resort to force. many of his peers in the middle east are looking around and saying if he can delay his departure by using violence, so can we. host: let me bring it back to the president over the last 10 days. he departs for brazil and brazil abstained from the un resolution. the president sends a letter to members of congress on monday and speaker john boehner cents a sharp response on wednesday asking for more answers and on friday there's a conference call in the situation room with congressional leaders for the president to further explain our role and our mission. all this comes at the same time that the white house says nato will take greater command authority leading to more

questions as to who u.s. troops respond to. is it the u.s. military or nato? the present will talk about this tomorrow. guest: this shows that there is a concern at the white house about congress and the broader american public if they understand the mission or support the mission. that will be an issue for the next few days for the white house to address this and obama to define what his ideas are and how he wants to get there. host: we have the aljazeera washington chief and we have the reporter for "the washington post." good morning. caller: i am curious -- does any of this have to do with the arab

countries and the turmoil? the issue that nobody wants to talk about has to be there. it has to be included in cnn. it is the country of israel. we have to get the shield away and not be able -- afraid to talk about the issues of israel and the palestinians. host: we will put that issue on the table right now. thank you. guest: the viewer raises a very important point. israel has as we all know, for several decades, been saying that one of the things that works for it as a non-arab state is that it is the only democracy in the middle east. and while many palestinians

under occupation would challenge that, many israelis believe that. it is going to be interesting to see, first of all, how democracy pans out in the middle east in a place like egypt, since a lot of the focus of attention is on egypt and if it succeeds. that would be a good indicator that it might succeed elsewhere in the region. if it failed, that would also be an indicator that might not flourished and elsewhere in the region. is going to be interesting -- it is going to be interesting. if there is a democracy narrative coming out of the arab world, it will be interesting to see have the israelis deal with it. united states has a lot to do with what is going on. they supported many of these regimes, president mubarak, vice president joe biden, up until just a few days before mubarak stepped down said that egypt is not a dictatorship.

secretary of state hillary clinton, just a short while before mubarak step down, said that the government -- stepped down said that the government was stable. we have to a knowledge that united states, by investing in the egyptian army over a period of 30 years giving over $1 billion in aid to the egyptian army in many ways, that was a wise decision because it gave the united states, the obama administration -- for all the wrath that it has been getting -- should give the administration leverage over the egyptian army, in a way that may have helped avert the kind of bloodshed in to that we're seeing currently in libya. -- bloodshed that we are currently seeing in libya. how will the world do with israel if it becomes democratic?

when you deal with a democracy you have to talk to several people offor many different people instead of just talking to one. there is a lot of doubt over whether it omar said dot could have traveled to israel in the 1970's -- omar saddat could have traveled to israel in the 1970's. the best investment in the future is the investment in democracy, not dictatorship. host: susan wachter all had this commentary -- the president does not have the -- susan westphal had this commentary -- caguest: he will talk about what his authority is pure the white house believes that he can do this without a -- is. the white house believes that he

can do this without congressional authorization. host: does this headline in "the new york times" help the president's argument? the rebels retaking libyan city ies as air strikes clear the way. guest: in my estimation, it absolutely does. in my estimation, the timing of the speech would -- the choice of monday would have been very carefully chosen after there were signs that the rebels were making gains. this is a compelling argument. there are sacrifices. i know there are questions. but, ultimately, we are on the side of history. these guys in libya they are doing the real work. we're providing air cover for them. it is the right thing to do. here is the evidence.

guest: michael is joining us first from new york. caller: there seems to be little news coming out of iran, saudi arabia, and the rest of the area where we have friendly relations -- the atrocities are being downplayed. i'm very curious about iran and what is going on there as far as any movement toward overthrowing not government by the people. thank you. host: thank you. guest: welcome back two things. we go around saying that the current wave of change started in tunisia. in a way, that is true. it did start in geneva a few months ago. remember that the iranians -- in tunisia a few months ago. remember that the iranians had undergone their own turmoil.

there was a lot of turmoil led by young people the way that we're seeing in the arab world. at the end of the day ahmadinejad did manage to suppress that, at least for time. this will be difficult to put the feel of finality and what he did. there are still things simmering in iran. the fact that you have this wave of change sweeping through the arab world will, in one way or another, nurture the aspirations of young people, not just the young people, young people and others inside of iran. it is not a done deal yet for ahmadinejad. for all the things iran is criticized for -- if you compare a ron's with the united states, with the western democracy -- iran with the united states, with the western

democracies, -- in many ways iranians do have a bigger say in their affairs of the country than we elsewhere in the arab world. what is leading to the middle east has a spirit of a song -- what is sweeping through the middle east has a spirit of its own. it has a spirit of its own. it is not about which country is more open than others. it is not about which country is richer than others and can bribe its citizenry more than others. it is a wave of change. i think people are embracing it regardless of what country it is and regardless of whether you are shia. host: david ignatius, writing

from cairo "seize the moment, mr. president." guest: i think that is right. obama has avoided doing -- president bush gave grand speeches about democracy moving forward, how we wanted to change every region of the world. obama has taken this approach of being moment-by-moment, event- by-he then, country-by-country -- event-by-event, country-by-

country. so far he has been very much about not giving any grand vision for this. i will be curious to see how he goes forward. there is concern that he is not articulating anything more broad for the region. guest: let me read you some of the recommendations from "the washington post." first, the president should do everything he can to help the egyptian revolution succeed. guest: i just want to start off by fixing a thought from a

little while ago. president bush came with a clear and loud democracy agenda, and he alienated many of his friends and allies in the middle east. we all remember the famous rice speech in cairo in which she got and egyptians to democratize -=-- she called on egyptians to democratize. obama seemed to disavow the democracy agenda particularly what had happened in iraq often seen as a disaster. i do not think that the fact that he seemed to publicly disavowed the democracy and that -- i do not think he stopped behind-the-scenes he or the administration, working for it. would be led ngos in a place

like egypt continues apace -- working with ngos in a place like egypt continues apace. contact with those ngos and young people and so on did help the economic change in the country of egypt. the problem that the united states has in a place like libya, for example, and the united states, and the western allies -- they would not face this country down the road, at least in the middle east. there was the lockerbie bombing. sanctions were slapped on libya. for many years. the sanctions were eased and lifted. questions continued to loom around what actually had happened in lockerbie? what was libya's role in that flight? those questions, up till now

have not been resolved beyond reasonable doubt, not in the arab world, and my feeling, not in the united states, either. how come no sanctions were lifted? the united states worked to have those sanctions lifted. tony blair in the u.k. worked to have those sanctions lifted. whatever the outcome in libya is going to be, i think those questions will have to be revisited. there are a lot of people who feel that the arabs offering, although it could be turned to fall, there are a lot of people who feel that the arab spring has actually been allowed to be buried in libya because of colonel gaddafi pierre not sure to what extent i agree with that or not. -- colonel gaddafi. i am not sure to what extent i agree with that or not.

the allies did intervene in libya to stop what looked like sure saw it -- for slaughter of civilians. part of the credit that the obama administration will claim in the speech. host: we will be covering that live on the c-span networks. if you are looking -- listening we're here with abderrahim foukara and perry bacon. our next caller is from when osiris -- buenos aires. caller: al jazeera, you have done absolutely the best job jerry you deserve awards. -- best job. you deserve rewards. i know many of your people have been killed in every nation. as we talk about libya mr. obama -- nothing that he does,

he will be criticized, no matter what he does. it is a little too late, what he has done but still the right move. two questions. mr. foukara how to get rid of the dictator gaddafi? the other question is, what is killing the libyans right now is the tanks, not to the mercenaries. what should be done about the tanks? host: thank you for your call. let's begin with the issue of the tanks. guest: i was confused by the question. host: the role that the tanks are playing. guest: -- host: --

guest: the role of the u.s. military has been broadly successful in the past few days. it will be interesting to see how president obama frames that tomorrow. we had an intervention that has worked. i'll be curious to see how the place where we are going from here. there will be discussion of what the u.s. role is. guest: when does dennis kucinich began the impeachment hearings? -- begin the impeachment hearings, saying that obama has overstepped his bounds? guest: kucinich has been a critic. john boehner has been very critical. even richard lugar an ally of the president and very supportive of his foreign policy, has been very critical.

secretary clinton and robert gates are going to capitol hill on wednesday to work with members of both houses of congress and both parties. it will be interesting to see how they try to build support behind this mission which currently has very little support from either party. host: one way we have been covering the development are through our al jazeera sources. thank you before allow us to hear what is happening -- thank you for allowing us to hear what is happening. guest: if i may, let me just touch on the issue that your previous caller raised about how you get rid of gaddafi. gaddafi is not easy to get rid of. this is a man who has stayed in power for 42 years. it tells you something about his ability to stay in power. gaddafi comes across, often as being crazy and erratic. there is another side to him.

he can be a brilliant strategist, whether you like it or not. the day that the security council passed the resolution of the knife lows -- over the no- fly zone, just two hours before the vote, he gave another one of those frightening speeches in which he talked about cleansing people house-to-house and door- to-door in street to street. when minutes of this security council passing the resolution, he sent out his deputy foreign minister to say, we will deal positively with the security council resolution. that i'm creating -- not just creating confusion, but also trying to put some libyans on his side. look, we're dealing with this positivity but the international community, led by the crusaders, it is actually attacking us as libyans. it seems to have worked -- that

strategy -- in his favor, to a point. ultimately, this is going to be a combination of the help coming from the outside world, led by the united states, france, britain, despite all of the fears that is raising in the arab and muslim world. rebels will have to continue to play a very proactive role. we have seen some of that in the article you referenced earlier. will that ultimately dislodge him from power and how long will it take? we have been hearing from u.s. officials that he is sending out some of his own people to test the waters, looking for a way out. we'll see if that happens. host: good morning republican line. caller: could morning. how're you today?

host: we are fine. go ahead with your question. caller: i think i am very proud of what we're doing in the middle east. we're trying to do something that is not from a long time ago. i commend al jazeera for bringing the attacks. i'm disappointed that most of the media in the united states has taken over the israeli government's point of view. i think we need to hear the facts. israel should be welcoming democracy in the middle east more than anybody else. we're tired of fighting. we're tired of the conflict. i do not see any difference in what these people are doing doing with each other overseas whatever religion or nationality, they do not have a problem. i commend to the people and i hope that the people -- commend

the people and i hope that the people -- none of the anti-is really issue is what is going on in egypt or tunisia. president for life -- people are starving to death. people need a break. host: thank you for calling. we have another question from another viewer. guest: this is part of the equation that has not been tackled yet in all of these debates that people have been having about why this current

wave of changes sweeping through the region. in the case of to any ship, -- of tunisia, it started with the young man who second saw bonfire because he could not give the job -- whose set himself on fire because he could not get a job. the story behind that is that the government of the former president of tunisia had introduced some economic reforms and privatized the economy, restructured it in consultation with the world bank and the imf and other institutions of the international financial system. unemployment continues to grow. prices continued to grow. food prices continued to grow. even tinea's middle-class, which was quite substantial --

attorney john's middle-class, which was quite substantial -- even to me just middle-class -- even tunisia's middle-class, which was quite substantial, had standing to do with it. the overriding. -- the overriding spirit of this is that people are saying, we have had enough of political tyranny. we want freedom. at this point in time, the narrative is not about empty western positions or empty israeli positions. it is about your need within those countries, although i am sure that the position that the west has played in this, the position of how israel is connected to all of this will become part of the debate at some point but these questions may be raised in a different environment, particularly if you get democratic systems appearing in the middle east.

host: from president obama to sarah palin -- praising her role as the first female to serve on a national party ticket. the democrats lost in 1984 in one of the biggest landslides for ronald reagan. 27 years later what is the legacy? guest: her legacy is that of a trailblazer. whoever becomes the first team all president will mentioned her in the speech when she wins -- first female president will mention her in the speech when she wins. it will be the first in a series of important figures. guest: i want to say something about geraldine ferraro did.

there is a lot of debate in the arab and muslim world about the role of women. we have seen in tunisia egypt other parts of the arab world, that women have played a prominent role in these revolutions. we have also been hearing from women subsequently, that the role that they have been assigned or seem to have been assigned after the resolution -- revolution is not commensurate with the roles they have played in bringing down these governments. the timing of this debate in the united states is interesting. there is a counterpart to it in the arab world. host: surely you forget that chisholm broke the ceiling first in 1972 -- you forget that shirley chisholm broke the ceiling first in 1972. angela joining us from south

carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. first of all i would like to thank al jazeera for the coverage we are getting from a different perspective. i have a question. there seems to be a lot of confusion in the media. all of the media reports are saying there needs to be more clarity. i have been following this from the beginning. i think that president obama stated the mission. it was for the prevention of the slaughter. why is the media focused more on what he did not say? he never said that the mission was to remove gaddafi yet all of the criticism seems to be coming from what he did not say and not what he actually said. do you think that the way president obama has gone about this with international

cooperation, with cooperation from the arab league leads to a greater possibility of some type of peace in the middle east with citizens all over enjoying freedoms that they may have never seen in their lifetimes? host: thank you. guest: on the issue of removing gaddafi from office, he was indicted. from the first day, president obama said that he was illegitimate. obviously that left it open for a lot of people to interpreted as if the united states does anything, the ultimate goal would be to remove him from office. you made reference earlier to david ignatius who makes a very valid and important point, which is bad people in the arab world are looking at what president

obama has been saying or doing about libya, not necessarily knowing fully the domestic policy background to the way he is articulating his policy in libya. clearly, as far as the message is concerned president obama is in a big hole. he could not just say the ultimate operation -- all the middle of the operation is to get rid of gaddafi but, if you read between the lines, i think that is the goal. president obama, hillary clinton, and others, have made it absolutely clear that, if gaddafi stays in power that is going to be a nightmare scenario not just for libya. it will be a nightmare for the neighbors. you have a fragile situation in tunisia, in egypt. for gaddafi to survive, he is

going to undermine any accomplishments those countries have made. it will be a nightmare scenario for the west if he survives the peace. the west has coupled with gaddafi's food for years. this will be described as a major victory for him in libya. where did the french british and americans go with that? another 43 years? his son? when the obama administration's says carlton goal is not to remove him that is a domestic policy -- says our goal is not to remove him, that is a domestic policy consideration. many people have interpreted the speech as getting gaddafi out is obama's ultimate goal. host: let's talk about what is written in the national journal.

"the great distrust." with regard to the debate over the debt to the and the cheers but it, where is this going to lead? -- over the debt and the budget, where is this going to lead? guest: whenever john boehner tries to compromise with the >> the new members -- with obama the new member said, do not back down, did not compromise, and obama faces similar pressure -- to do not compromise, and obama faces similar pressure. it will be a challenge to see which of these leaders can make

a movement towards the center and really irritate their party along the way. this is about who will compromise and how. it looks like obama is more likely to compromise. there will be repercussions for obama. host: let's take it one step further. on friday, chuck schumer said that there had been some progress in the budget negotiations. according to "the washington post," prompting a quick succession of statements from speaker boehner house republican eric cantor, and others -- >>guest: this is a strange area when a leader of congress says that a compromise might happen and he is attacked for saying it.

boehner, kantor and mccarthy are being very careful about negotiating and appealing to the new party, which did win the collection and is very empowered right now. they want to cut every announced they can. host: is there another opportunity for a continuing resolution beyond april late? guest: to get this done in two weeks will be very hard. what is likely is that there will be a continuing resolution for another week while they feel -- finished then real agreement. i am almost certain there will be one more but i think they both know where we're headed. host: it is this any way to run a railroad station a federal government, when you have a series of continuing resolutions with no clarity in how washington is going to spend money this year and the budget ends september 30. it is not that far away.

guest: i feel like we just went through an election. we are talking about the next one already. it is interesting together with what happened in wisconsin and ohio a few weeks ago it is interesting to people sitting outside of the united states to actually watch it. it is interesting where people are watching in the middle east, where there is discussion about democracy. it is interesting to watch american democracy at work and to draw your own conclusions about the good and bad things about it. guest: let me add one short thought. i was in president -- i was in south america with president obama. each time he would say that, people would laugh. ha it is a work in progress here as well. -- it is a work in progress here

as well. host: jason from new jersey, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span and for this topic. i'd think this is really hard for a lot of people to understand. i just have to bring it back to a very basic level. some of these discussions what they remind me of, it's like to hands are clapping and argument about what one is making the sound. we're losing the bigger picture. what condi said it is an eye for and i will make the entire -- gandhi said is an eye for an eye will make the entire world blind. there is a book which says we should be sharpen our sickle's instead of our swords --

sharpening our sickles instead of our swords. what -- where is peace? when is igt going to end? god bless america. god bless you guys. host: hoping for arab mandelas -- guest: let me come back to the caller who said he wants to see more peace. president obama will argue that he was trying to restore peace to all that something you can develop. that is one problem that he has.

looks like we're fighting the war. he will not call it a war. what happens after this? host: nelson mandela advocated peace in the -- in south africa. >> one of the issues -- it would be a pity if people around the world remembered the arab world for what is going on in libya rather than cairo. the peaceful protests have a sense of vision. it projected this image of peace, that the world is perhaps looking for. nelson mandela, i think he is right. this is not just about changing said that the arab world has been seeing for 30 years.

this is a change from funding that the arab world has possibly seen for hundreds of years -- from something that the arab world has possibly seen for hundreds of years. nelson mandela is an interesting reference. to me, he is obviously a huge moral power. he brought the apartheid system in south africa peacefully down beauty keep peace a chance in that part of the country. even in today's south africa, many people still have strong reservations about what the anc has been able to achieve. four -- to achieve for black people in that part of the world. there is an interesting twist for nelson mandela in libya. gaddafi, when he gave up on arab support, as he said when he was trying to have the sanctions

lifted on libya he turned to sub-saharan africa and started saying libya is not arab, libya is african beauty to somebody like nelson mandela who flew into libya -- libya is african. he took somebody like nelson mandela, who flew into libya who helped lift the sanctions gave him moral support in many different ways. nobody is perfect, not even nelson mandela. he helped bring apartheid down, but gaddafi's critics will tell you that he helped a monster as critics describe gaddafi survive many more years. host: let's conclude where we began -- the president back in washington congress returning this week. what is in the week ahead? guest: the speech on monday about libya.

he will try to really explain to americans where we are headed, what is going on, why the u.s. is there and what we're doing. the rest of the week -- he does not have a big schedule. there is a meeting on capitol hill on wednesday with secretary gates, secretary clinton admiral mullen. the next two weeks will be all about vice president biden and the budget. that will be a big under current handling the negotiations. host: no shortage of stores domestically or internationally -- stories domestically or internationally. gentlemen, thank you for being with us. coming up in just a couple of minutes, the former ambassador

will join us to share his opinions on what is happening in the middle east. first, a look at some of the leading editorial events as viewed by political cartoonists from around the country.

>> author, poet, and playwright ishmael reed is on "indepth" april 3. he has written over 25 books including "bearing dirty laundry -- "airing dirty laundry."

join our conversation sunday, april 3, c-span2. what previous programs at -- watch previous programs at booktv.org. >> you have a chance to catch up on things you have missed in congress including patent law reform. all online at cs and's congressional chronicle, -- at c-span's congressional chronicle. c-span.org/congress. "washington journal" continues. host: we welcome the former under secretary of state for political affairs. we'll talk about afghanistan but first, i want ask you about the developments in libya.

your broad assessment? guest: i think we're in the midst of revolution. things in that part of the world have not been this way for centuries, if at all. we're seeing a set of changes that i think is remarkable. the future of all of those changes is remarkably unpredictable. i have been saying that anybody who tells you they know precisely how it is going to come out is either very lucky or very limited -- lunatic. host: let me pick up on that. what is your assessment? will gaddafi cling to power or be forced out of power? headlines say that the u.s. efforts have strengthened the rebels. guest: this morning, it looks better for the rebels. this morning you see the potential for hope that the

military activity may make progress. there are big questions. i am not the military expert. as they run up against the full weight of gaddafi's forces, will those forces remain cohesive? can the air deal with this? traditionally, air has been an enormously valuable supplement to ground action. the people on the ground able to deal with this? do they need more weapons? particularly anti-tank missiles. there are many tactical considerations that play into where the question is is going. i think there is -- for the question is going. i think there is less of a problem with handing off to nato. how and in what way do we coordinate the ground people with the air people? to we want to put people in? do we have people in the already?

knowing where the targets are is extremely important when you want effective air support. there are many big questions out there. however, the big issue is that we went in, seemingly, to protect against a massacre. i think there were real reasons to do that. there was no question that the threats against benghazi or real -- were real. we have a resolution that is wide enough to permit us to do a lot of things. i said at the time and i say again that the measure of success will be precisely what you raised in your question -- will gaddafi be caught? under what circumstances? anything short of that will represent a vulnerability for our administration, for our allies, and those in the arab world who believe that gaddafi should be gone.

this is part of the broader wave of revolution that we were just talking about. host: let's talk about what is happening in afghanistan. the argument is that we're being involved in libya was having u.s. troops on the ground in iraq to general david petraeus testified on capitol hill saying that he was moving ahead with the transition in july of this year. what does that mean in afghanistan? host: "transition" means the beginning of moving some troops out, with the idea of a ball coming in 2014, without some absolute certainty about what that will mean. as you know, a group of as presented to the public an idea that really is a kind of -- of us presented to the public and i did that really is the kind of

idea that the president has already declared -- an idea that the president has already declared to be his strategy. we thought there ought to now be a surge in diplomacy, efforts to try to see whether diplomacy could provide that i additional increment that could help bring the war to conclusion -- that additional increment that could help bring the war to a conclusion before 2014. it is a tough row to hoe, but not one the united states should ignore. it is a road that we would be wise to follow. this report was produced by a group of 15. none of them were not american. it is quite interesting. people had great diversity in their backgrounds and perceptions. indeed the countries from which they came -- all of them agreed with the report, which thought was quite unusual. my co-chairman was a former

foreign minister and a former u.s. representative -- un rep. host: you outline engaging in talks with the taliban. guest: you cannot have a piece without talking to the enemy. in that sense we have to engage with the taliban. that presents its own problems. which taliban? how? we had the opportunity to speak to a number of taliban, our group did. we had the sense that mullah omar had some respect particularly in the areas of theology. other parts of the taliban will have to be contacted as well. we do not know yet whether they bring a unified front to the table or not. the question of how and what way to do that, we have tried

to answer in a more particular way. we think there needs to be -- following up on our talks and many others that have taken place -- what we would call a unified exploration. some group some state, perhaps blessed by the security council but certainly under the aegis of the un secretary-general would go out and spend some time in the region, perhaps quietly speaking to all those engaged and see whether two questions could be answered. are they prepared to come to the table? what are they going to bring to the table? the answer to the latter will be their maximum position, but it will give some scintilla of evidence as to where and how the talks themselves ought to be conducted, if that takes place. we have said that, if there is a positive finding we ought to think about what we call the standing international conference openhanded on

membership but totally focused in the early stages, on the afghans, who will have to into the principal question that obviously will have to be resolved -- who will have to answer the principal question that obviously will have to be resolved. what role will each of the groups -- president karzai and his people -- the so-called northern alliance -- the loyal opposition -- those to represent women and others -- those who would come in from the taliban. what role did they play? what kind of government will that be? in what way can we move that forward? it will undoubtedly have to have the united states and pakistan claimed a very important role. we will have to see a run in india and the bordering states of afghanistan -- iran and india and the bordering states of afghanistan help.

they can help the afghan parties. they will need a moderator or explorer. as they make progress, and we hope they will, we would see a role for agreements among the regional states and others who are friends of afghanistan about how to reinforce and respect the agreement, decide what status afghanistan would have as a result of what the afghans want. is it neutrality or non- alignment? we would continue the assistance that afghanistan needs long after any peace. you're optimistic about the means for negotiations -- we are optimistic about the need for negotiations. we have no wish to contribute -- no way to be sure it will be successful but it is much

better than continuing to fight. host: another underlying factor is the economy. the afghan people who want jobs. they're in transition from the poppy fields. host: this comes to the question i was about to get to. it is perfect, in that sense. there is no question at all in our minds that there has been a real improvement in large pieces of afghanistan as a result of the surge in economic conditions. aspirations are up. there is no question that a serious issue for afghans have to be, how can we both preserve what we have gained and continue to see that moved to the rest of the country? we see batik. we see people concerned -- we see fatigue. we see people concerned about the economic conditions.

it is not as stable as we would like. we see it affect a military stalemate. we see world weariness pierluisi hopes and aspirations kindled by what has happened -- we see world-weariness. we see hope and aspirations kindled by what has happened so far. we see a favorable attitude toward the political process. these are not relevant factors. they will play an important role in how they see the future and what they want to see. host: our guest is thomas pickering. he has had positions in el salvador india jordan, and as real -- israel. he has worked under both democratic and republican administrations. michael from new orleans, good morning with ambassador pickering.

caller: good morning. ambassador, there was a study of from the west point strategic studies of terrorism activities in the area, in the middle east. it specifically states that the north eastern region of libya harbors the highest density of known terrorists. among these so-called "rebels" that we are calling them, it has been abetted by the rebel leader himself -- admitted by the rebel leader himself that there are certain members within these so- called freedom fighters.

while we are allegedly helping freedom fighters, the insanity is that we're fighting them in other nations. i would like someone to address this insanity. post >> thank you, michael. -- host: thank you, michael. guest: i think you mean al qaeda. there is an interesting question. if we can help to play a role in bringing leadership to libya to power, power that does not represent al-qaeda -- obviously they have some influence there already -- that would be a far easier to voice for us to make and a far more effective twist than to abandon -- that would be a far easier choice for us to make and a far more effective choice. there is no question at all that

gaddafi's principal line here, as well as president mubarak's before he left office, and the principal problem they face is the fundamentalist armed violent organizations that are against them. there is some truth to that. there is a mixture. i do not believe that 17,000, whatever the real number is troops or the regulators regulating represent a preponderant and al-qaeda fighters. in the end my sense is that those who want to be rid of gaddafi did not need to have placed over their heads and newt islamic fundamentalist organization which has if not all -- a new islamic fundamentalist organization.

these are difficult choices. they are not easy. the intelligence, in my view, remains murky in terms of what is happening. i would argue that we should continue to provide the efforts that we are. we should be aware that there are, perhaps people who would not want to call nelson mandela. in that sense we may be able to work with others to achieve the kind of the change in libya which i think we and the rest of the arab world have been supporting and would like to see happen. host: let's go back to the issue of the economy and a gain -- afghan farmers. guest: that is a huge problem.

i wish i knew the answer. we know it is a combination. it has worked in some places. turkey is an interesting example. it has been a question of strong government action, alternative crops and ability to make inroads into an important living without having to rely on poppy culture. there was an interesting survey of years ago -- i do not know whether it is out of date. more than 50% of the afghan farmers said it would be interested in moving our of poppy cultivation if they could achieve something like 50% of the income. it was not a 20 to one ratio in those days. host: our guest here is the former ambassador, thomas pickering. paula >> thank you. i am privileged to talk to you -- caller: thank you. i am privileged to talk to you. there was a huge problem with

that. i do not think the taliban will come to the table as long as they think they are winning. we have not really got to the place where we can say that we have put our thumbs on them -- or under our thumbs. it reminds me somewhat of vietnam. when we started the bombing of hanoi, they decided to sit down and talk about peace. i did not see where the taliban and or al-qaeda welcome to the table. -- the taliban or al-qaeda will come to the table. guest: one reason they say they're interested is that their confidence is slipping that they can win any kind of effort on the battlefield. the surge has carried at home.

one of the things that general petraeus has been saying, which implies the answer to the question that, as we improve on the battlefield, and we certainly have, it is necessarily to turn that -- necessary to turn that did the kind of political advantage we want to see. that involves the use of a political process in this case, negotiations to decide whether that can happen. our group decided that you need to have been intensive exploration and very quickly to see, in fact, whether that kind of process has any chance of moving ahead. what we saw as we talked to people was -- what was portrayed to us was a serious interest in building a head. they had very different views about what they were going to achieve. that is not unusual at the beginning of a negotiation. it is sometimes unusual to see both sides issued -- interested

in coming to the table to the u.s. will be tremendously important in that. secretary clinton's speech in the middle of february raised this issue and tried to put it in context. that was a significant contribution to the process. host: thomas pickering began by talking about the need for discussions with the taliban as a way to start the process of reconciliation. steve caller: have you read the book "3 cups of tea?" what will be do about educating women in this society? the mankind in the book is that the women -- the main points in the book is that it takes women into build a village.

first, have you read that book? then i have a follow-up. guest: we have the opportunity to meet with groups represented both women interest organizations, education and civil and human rights. we believe that has to be an essential part of any deal. the growth in women's education which has been quite remarkable, it is now a primary feature of the scene. we never even see reports that the taliban is not closing women's schools the way they used to because the local people are the ones keeping them from doing so and protesting. they make it clear they will not have support. these are what we would call anecdotal pieces of evidence.

they are spread around. there is no question that across international community, our founding -- are finding was that any agreement with the afghans had eight specific interest to these issues. could the taliban report there? i do not know. there is indication that things are changing and it is worth trying to find a process to way to explore these issues in more depth and detail. host: our guest served as the former undersecretary of state. other postings as a diplomat include russia, india, and nigeria. are you still with us? caller: it sounds to me, and maybe i am not announcing a ride, but it sounds to me --

pronouncing it right, but it sounds like there are more schools for radicalism than there are for the general population in trying to turn the tide. guest: you bring up a question about their influence and their role. there is a growth in women's education. i think the problem that we have seen for decades is the growth and the continuation of fundamentalist ideas including the non-education of women. a large source of the talent and

fighters were people of the same tribe of southern afghanistan who historically went there to fight. they stayed behind after fighting the soviets. it is a very complex problem. we believe that the changes that have taken place in afghanistan have now set the beginning of a predicate for an alternative future in afghanistan which will play much more of the traditional afghanistan before the russian invasion before 1979. the question is whether there is a sentiment to move in that direction. we see that beginning to build. the polling data, which sometimes people question, trends to show that they're

looking at the problem in a more positive way and in the direction i just outlined. host: to the comments on "3 cups of tea," one tweeter links us. the website is threecupsof tea.com and you can check it out on "booktv." guest: you can also check it out on our report. tcf.com. caller: good morning. i have three comments and i will make them real fast. first of all, we should learn the lesson that you do not take a 21st century military from the west and drop them in the seventh century surrounding. first, a comment on the taliban.

they were in pakistan for this one. there was a woman who read the qaran and they wanted her dead. they go around the taliban asking to get rid of the blasphemy. do know when this was all about? minorities. christians are allowed to read the bible without getting killed. now, in afghanistan we went in there for [inaudible] they kept going but they had to go back because guess what? while there are gone, there is a tribal leader and the taliban as having a great time. we have to start with education and maybe we could get around that 20 years from now.

we live in a world of fantasy. goodbye. guest: that was a bunch of sharp comments. i will only say the following. the number of incidents that you speak about took place in pakistan. pakistan is an old american ally but one deeply troubled by many of the same problems we see in afghanistan. certainly, recent leaders of pakistan who have been assassinated, both muslim and christian, represents a severe loss to the country. one can only respect those pakistanis who continue to come forward and leave their country to change. it is difficult. afghanistan is troubled by many of the same problems a long and deep seated tradition and a strong adherence to islam. a deep sense than foreigners represent for them, and

intrusion. there is no question that all that when the television were removed the last time that -- that when the taliban was relieved, there was a time when we were greeted warmly. what concerns me is that we did not follow up of the way we should have. we did not follow up with the opportunity to develop education or with the knowledge that there needed to be, i think, a much more intense investment to prevent them from coming back. many will argue that shifting their attention to a rock was a premature event. -- shifting our attention to iraq was a premature event. they believe they will again be abandoned by all the people who have tried to help them and

maybe some have not tried to help them. these are big and important questions. the commitment to go through 2014 in many ways and the commitment to go beyond in the economic area is, in my view, a significant factor. many complex issues and the question touched on a large number of them. they will all have to be dealt with. our sense is that it is now time to begin opening a political process to begin to address along with the military and economic development sides that very significant problem. host: we're focusing on afghanistan, but there is the news in libya. how did the doctor gets so many weapons? he was on a terrorist watch list -- how did gaddafi get so many weapons? guest: with his oil income, he

acquired a large number of weapons, many of which are appearing on the television screens today in the hands of his forces and in the hands of the so-called rebels. he amassed large quantities of conventional weapons. i suspect he may have some capacity at the lower and to do things like produce ammunition. as far as i know, he has no capacity to produce artillery and tanks or to repair the ones he has. the fact remains that he was on a list of sanction the country's from about 1990 and stayed on until he gave up very publicly. my feeling is from what i know he did not acquire a large amount of modern weapons when he

came off of that list. most of this material and equipment predates the 1990 sanctions. host: the front page of "the new york times" as rebel forces in the libya take one of the muammar gaddafi's tanks. more progress outside the capital of tripoli. from tuscaloosa, alabama, with thomas pickering. caller: i have been observing wars since 1945 when the bomb was dropped on hiroshima. as you look at afghanistan iraq, and now libya. in this country during the economic times in oklahoma, bombs were dropped on black people. in philadelphia, pa. and have

none ever been dropped on your opinions from keeping the white muslims from getting killed. why is that the case? the united states sells guns to other people. other people sell poppy and drugs. we love drugs. they love guns. they sell the drugs and we sell the guns. tell me. in this country, african- american people suffer more hardships than anyone else. people who are in disarray in the world, the europeans have mixed up african-americans so there are so crazy. we are worse off than we were 40 years ago. we are some mixed up. we gave up condoleezza rice. guest: let me just say the following. i think these conflicts are not

ones that in the end we bear primary spots ability for. -- primary responsibility for, with the exception of iraq. i do not believe that these are promulgated from race. it is quite interesting that the arab community around the world in particular with respect to libya, has asked us to go in as has come indeed, of. mr. gaddafi, as it has received over time, has shifted many of his interests to africa. he has run out of popularity with his own people and the

muslim and arab communities. the notion that african- americans are worse off will be debated for a long period of time. i can only point to the fact that i join in pride knowing we have an elected man who has a background in that community and is represented in the en-- a remarkable way. i believe we're coming around these problems and i understand the concerns that people have were it looks like war is dividing and may be racially inspired. he pointed to bosnia and yugoslavia. the notion that i would find it useful to persuade you by pointing to more wars is not in my view, the kind of approach i

would like to see. i came here to recommend we seek to find a way to start a political process aimed at negotiating a peace settlement in afghanistan. i have been a diplomat all of my life. i deplore the fact that there is war anywhere. i am deeply concerned that people feel they are racially motivated or inspired. i do not join in that year. we have people of color and where there are deep concerns that the direction and flow of the u.s. has been to try and prevent those and to come indeed, help people try to recover from those wars. we have been generous as a country to seek to do that through assistance programs and diplomatic efforts. host: the details are available on the century foundation. the website is tcf.com.

there is a question from one of our viewers on your report saying "peace will never come in that part of the world unless all the parties of the region sit down and talk." is that realistic? guest: i think that is. that is as good a summary of what we have proposed with the many many details were killed in around the edges -- details filled in around the edges. the devil is in the details. we recommend we bring people together and we try to find a way to help bridge over the gaps. it sounds, too many people, unrealistic but we only need to look back at places like cambodia mozambique el salvador. it is not impossible, even though it is difficult.

host: thomas pickering out with a new report from the century foundation. thank you for being with us. and we will take a short break on "washington journal." we will look at some of the guests dominating the sunday morning news programs. >> of dean j-- the re--airs beg in at noon. the topics include libya the federal budget, and the 2012 election. secretary of state clinton and defense secretary robert gates. also republican on the senate foreign relations committee dick lugar of indiana. at 1:00, abc's "this week." he will speak with the secretary of clinton and gates and speaks with former secretary of bronze

bell. fox news sunday repairs at 2:00 p.m. chris wallace will talk with john mccain and joe lieberman. also former house speaker gingrich. at 3:00 p.m., "state of the union." talking with carl levin and former national security adviser stephen hadley. at 4:00 p.m., face the nation. bob schieffer talking with secretary clinton and secretary gates. the five network tv talk jurors are brought to you as a public service by the networks. they began eastern with "meet the press," 1:00 "this week, close "3:00 p.m. cnn's "state of the union. listen to them all on c-span radio. 90.1 fm in the d.c. radio xm 132, downloadable, or online on

c-spanradio.org. >> i am not interested in developing a strategy to win the primary and not win the general. i want to go out there and say we have done well everywhere. >> today rick santorum talking a presidential bid a possibility in the 2012. >> drop the month of april, we will feature the top winners of this year's student cam competitions. documentary's were submitted on that theme "washington d.c., through my lens." you can watch them every morning at 6:50 a.m. just before "washington journal." you can meet the students who greeted them. you can see the winning videos online at studentcam.org.

host: for the next 40 minutes we will focus on the 2012 presidential primary calendar and look at what some states are or are not doing especially in light of budget cutbacks and the effect will have on 2012. yesterday on c-span we had live coverage of the conservative principles conference. these are the stories this morning in "the new york times." social conservatives may shake the focus of the gop race. this story and cited "the washington examiner." nevada is focusing on the caucus. they are gambling they can turn this swing state known for showgirls into a major player in the picking the party nominee. after iowa and new hampshire get their turn,

we will check in with some people around the country in the particular florida and washington state. we want your calls and comments as we look ahead at the presidential primary calendar. you can join the conversation at twitter.com/cspanwj. an email at journal@c-span.org. the numbers are on your screen. this story on "politico," to save stateside later primaries.

that is our focus. the numbers are on your screen. good morning. where are you calling from? you are on the air. go ahead. caller: fort worth, texas. host: you are on the air. go ahead.

caller: good morning. am i on the air? host: go ahead, caller. caller: the republicans are preaching religion and again like they are the only ones who have religion. also, now they're bringing in that they are the only patriots. it is just bridiculous. they are dismantling this country. the congress, the government. another thing i want to bring out is this at&t taking over the other. host: t-mobile? caller: yes. where are the monopoly laws? host: we talked about that issue on c-span's "the communicator's" which will read error of one --

reair on c-span2. our focus is the primary calendar. it is currently iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, then it nevada. florida is trying to move their state up. we will check in with adam smith. from north carolina? caller: south carolina. good morning. ok. the primary is coming. you tell me, steve. who do you think will be the leading female vice presidential candidate? host: female? caller: it has to be. haley won against a much mroeore qualified candidate simply because of the republican machine.

they were much better in the debates. if you watched the debates coming -- i do not have anything personally against her but the opponent was the better choice. the republican machine has boosted her up. i cannot say for sure. you know how politics are, right? you cannot make predictions. a lot of people come on the c- span and make predictions and they are generally 90% wrong and i would be wrong if i made a prediction, too. she will be a serious contender as a vice-presidential nominee. host: thank you for the call from south carolina. next is jim from champaign, illinois. go-ahead. caller: of the billions of dollars that are spent on the

elections, primaries, how much is taxable? host: contributions? caller: yes. why does the state not tax the people spending the money on primaries and stuff to recoup the money that the state has to spend it? host: think you for the call from champaign illinois. adam smith posted this story on "the st. petersburg times." florida's 2000 elections season will be a wild ride. he joins us now on the phone. are you with us? guest: yes i am a. thank you for having me. host: that me ask about the debate back and forth when states what to forgo early primaries and have the president for primary the same day they have the state primary. florida wants to do the opposite having a primary in late january.

why? guest: this started four years ago and was driven by the florida house speaker, now senator rubio. we are one of the most adverse representative states in the country so we should have more influence in the nominating process. they would not usurp the power of states like iowa and new hampshire, but they wanted to make a big difference. this dead -- they said in statutes that it would be jan. 29th. host: that is superseding with the parties agreed to. the first caucus is set for february 6th in iowa and february 14th in new hampshire. that is later than was shot in 2008 when they were held right after the first of the year. guest: the thinking was a the republicans controlled the legislature that there were also in support of having outside

influence in the nominating process. it's very much backfired on the democrats because the dnc had steeper penalties for violating the official schedule. florida democrats lost all of their delegates and what is more the presidential candidates agreed they would boycott the florida primary. it was very bizarre. the republicans thought, so what? they do not matter much anyway. it is more important to have more say in the primary and they did. florida delivered the nomination of john mccain. host: will board a stick to the january 31st date? is there conversation to move it to mid february after iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina? guest: the view of the legislative leaders as they are not trying to get ahead of iowa, new hampshire or south carolina or nevada. they are not going to follow the

rnc rules require ing them to go in march. the latest will be february. that schedule will be out the window in florida the site of the republican convention, which is causing some real problems for the rnc. host: if we're planning a flights to south carolina order hampshire, we should hold off. we could see a primary in mid- january? guest: it is very likely. it could be new year's in iowa like it was last time. absolutely. host: think you for the good news adam, as we prepare for our own political coverage. that me ask you about other events in florida. an estimated 3000 florida republicans will meet for dissipating in presidency spying. guest: it is an officially

meaningless popularity contest a straw poll like the one in iowa. the hard-core republican activists will get to vote on who they like. it has no official meeting, but it has the potential to have a lot of symbolic meaning in terms of popularity in who can win in a big battleground state, at least republicans. it will probably cost them a lot of money to get these thousands of delegates from florida. host: just to be clear. the florida primary would be just presidential and florida would have a separate primary for any state races which is the opposite of what states are looking at to combine the two to save money. is that correct? guest: that is correct. just presidential in january or february. we have a competitive senate

primary that would be during the republican convention. host: adam smith keeping and i am on florida. thank you for joining us. host: you can read more on their website, tampabay.com. though it is in on the 2012 election that will be "a wild ride." next south carolina as we look at the presidential calendar. but good morning edward. if you could turn the volume down on your television that will eliminate the akko. -- the echo. caller: [unintelligible] taxes are going up. everything is going up. but we are not getting no raise. i wonder what the reason that

all these people have the big business has the money. and people on social security don't get no money. host: it is based on what is called the cost of living adjustment and based on the inflation rate because inflation is essentially nonexistent said there is no increase in social security payments next year. next is a melbourne fla., looking at the presidential primaries next year. good morning. caller: if i may, i would like to make a comment on the primary and c-span. i would love to have a woman candidate. unfortunately, i do not seem a strong republican. i am an independent so i will make my choice on who is running. i am concerned that there are fewer women in the congress

after this last election, so i believe that. in regards to c-span, i hate to comment but you are following a trend i have seen in the most of the media and that is what i am calling crystal ball news casting. you ask everyone what you think will happen. i will leave that, but i also applaud c-span for the vast resources on your website. thank you for that. i would hope to see more of that type of discussion based on experiences and history based on the crystal ball perspective. host: we tried to provide all perspectives. c-span3 focuses on american history and you can look back in our vast archives. as always, we appreciate your comments suggestions, and recommendations. from bakersfield, california. good morning. caller: good morning, sir.

how are you? should we hold a primary any earlier to save money? here in bakersfield, our unemployment numbers were just released earlier this week. we are facing a 17% unemployment and we are certainly leading the nation as far as that goes. if you take a poll of people who watched the previous primaries they were not satisfied with the inundation of television commercials about the race of the presidential election. it was that way here. people were always talking about how much time the television programming consumed over their normal news broadcast. if the money is going to be spent, it should be spent on

infrastructure and supplying the country with a jobs corps instead of seeing here is more popular. we need to get to the point and stick to the lawful process of with the conventions called for four primary elections. host: thank you for the call. we will stay in california and a check in with paul fong, a member of the california state assembly. thank you for being with us live on "washington journal." that me ask you to weigh in on the argument that would move the california primary to june to save the state $100 million. by the savings? guest: the standalone primary cost us $97 million in 2008. if we consolidate we can save nearly $100 million. host: some would argue that it would decrease your influence on

the republican nominee. guest: both parties have extended the campaign season if you do not know where the candidates will get the delegate votes. if california kept to their original schedule in 2008, we would have been more influential in determining our presidential candidates. host: if you go back to 1976 and 1980, california did have a say in determining the democratic nominee ultimately going to jimmy carter. why the change? why did california deem it necessary to move the primary as a stand-alone presidential primary? guest: they wanted to have more influence in the process. they call it front loading the primary is hoping to determine who the candidate will be for both parties. that is the reason they moved it up but it did not determine it at all. host: what is california's current projected budget deficit?

guest: $26.60 billion. we have taken care of $10.50 billion so far. host: and this would save about -- $100 million, but just a small part of a larger budget deficit for california. guest: when every penny counts, that $100 million will go a long way. host: we are talking with paul fong a state representative and a democrat. guest: we have a bipartisan support and it passed the committee with bipartisan support and we have a couple of republican co-authors as well as the california state election the state board of counties. host: what about governor brown? guest: he is tied on monday and will see this as an savings.

host: paul fong, state representative joining us from california. thank you for giving us your perspective. we are talking about the 2012 primary calendars. and california looking at moving its stake from february to june to consolidate the presidential and a state primaries. other states looking at the same thing while february -- while florida wants to move up to jaber is to have a greater role in the process. -- florida wants to move their primary up to january to have a greater role. next caller. caller: mitt romney is probably the only republican will be barack obama next year. people like haley barbour and michelle bachman, it is ridiculous that they are running. they have no choice -- they have no chacne.

host: from ohio. good morning. caller: i feel the state of ohio is going down the drain with kassic. i believe obama will take the election in 2012. if everyone would listen to the history channel, you will hear these words. 5000 republican ku klux klan in washington. the tea party has come in and they are thtee modern ku klux klan. everyone take note. host: next is drawn from san diego. caller: hello, steve. thank you for c-span. the proposition recently passed in california that allows you to

vote in the primaries regardless of how you registered allows us to pick a candidate for either party whether it is democrat, republican independent, or even other candidates from the other green parties or parties that are not so prominent. it allows us to get a more even amount of the electorate that we can vote for. what i think this does is it gives us the ability of to put people in the office who will promote the interests of the people. if you would steve, let me make

one more comment. thank you. i appreciate that. this goes back to the gentleman you had gone last -- had on last. i think we have to, as a nation, promote the -- well, let me put it this way. we have to promote defense and our foreign policy and domestic policy. we have to put entitlements in perspective and live within our means. host: thank you for the call. some of the issues that came up yesterday at c pack -- cpac, social conservatives may shape

the gop race. good morning. caller: the morning, steve. how are you watching us -- host: how are you watching us? caller: we have a satellite set up from sky news, so be sebc. my husband and i love it here and we will decide to make it our permanent home. my comment is really about the early primaries. it is very misguided. it only serves to make the states go earlier and earlier to try and compete to relevance and arbitrarily then extend the pre- election.

people need to look at it from the other perspective. considering that you can save money, with the example of california, they need to consider consolidating along with all of the state's so it would also shorten the cycle and increase the savings. they stop trying to compete to be more important or more relevant than the rest of the people in the rest of the states. i do not have the answer, but i would like to see the discussion and the frame of reference being how do we improve this process to make it more efficient and less expensive. host: thank you for the call from copenhagen. tweeting in, texas republicans passed a voter i.d. law for redistricting.

we have the president of planned parenthood and when the discussion points is a proposal being put forth by mike pence that would defund planned parenthood. >> of what they did was a political amendment to simply say that we will not allow planned parenthood to provide prenatal care, family planning, cancer screening s.t.d. testing. the people coming in are still eligible. here is the irony. when you do the math to replace the services because we are frankly, the most cost-effective provider of the family planning we get less money to provide more care than any other provider. to replace those services because unless they will eliminate the federal program completely through which women get service commensurate place us will cost taxpayers an additional $200 million a

minimum if they can find another provider. if you do the math, this is a fiscally not only doing anything for the deficit but it will end up costing the taxpayers more money to provide the same services from someone else. host: cecile richards is the guest on that program on "newsmakers." next call from hartford, conn. caller: i am calling about the 2012 election. i want to know if they will be paying acorn or any other companies to sign up voters. host: next, hollywood, florida. leon on the republican line. good morning.

caller: by a mayor republican, yes. i have been following the 2012 presidential symposiums and the conservative action committees. i am kind of this made it -- kind of dismayed with the choices we have so far. i am wondering why we have so many conservative republican the coming out and they are afraid that the tea party which i am a part of, will promote only the two-party candid itate. host: who would you like to see in the race? caller: if i had a choice, christie and newt gingrich as

far as being a conservative and in my years. whenever baggage he has we have overlooked many other candidates with similar baggage and i do not think it would be relevant in his campaign so i will go with newt gingrich. host: newt gingrich one of five potential candidates speaking at the conservative principles conference. it is online on the c-span.org. here is in the thickest part of this segment about what the calendar will look like. potentially, for the on january 31st. that would be in advance of the primaries and caucuses scheduled for iowa, new hampshire south carolina, and nevada. the republican national convention will be in the tampon the week of august 27th. that will follow by the democratic national convention taken place in charlotte, north carolina and the election is set

for november 6th. from indiana, good morning. caller: good morning, steve. we love c-span. i am calling about the gentleman from florida saying they will have the florida primary in january. to me, a light went off and i am thinking of the rich people in the north have their winter homes in florida and they can vote in january, come back up north and vote again appear. i just -- vote again up here. the rich will come out on top. host: katie blinn is the co- director for elections in washington state. thank you for joining us. where is your state in all of this? when will voters go to a primary or caucus and what is the timing

of washington participation? guest: washington has a presidential primary. we have had one since 1989. the secretary of state has been a very strong proponent of the presidential primary because it brings out a broader spectrum of voters than a caucus. the caucus in our state probably bring out about 100,000 voters. the primary broadcom 1.3 million voters. there is no comparison in terms of which system allows for greater participation. our state, like many others, is facing such a financial budget problem. $5 billion is the estimated deficit for washington state for the next two years.

we budget two years at a time. every office, every elected official every agency and state government has been asked to find cuts. state government is no longer in the situation where it can afford the desirable programs. we are cutting down to the core of what must be provided. unfortunately, secretary of state and the governor are proposing to cancel the 2012 presidential primary and allow the process to proceed under caucus. i say unfortunately because we do this with a heavy heart because we are a proponent of that system. historically the process has been handled for the caucuses in washington state. this is a relatively recent process for washington. the other factor is that it is

still up to the two major parties in washington whether or not to use the results of the primary to allocate their delegates to the national conventions. the state democratic party has never used the results of the primary to allocate delegates. they have always used the caucus. the state republican party has usually used the results to allocate about half of their delegates to the national convention. that was, of course, another factor we had to consider. we have a proposed the governor and the secretary of state, hasve jointly proposed a bill to cancel the primary and we are expecting that legislation to pass. host: is there a concern that this would reduce washington state party role in selecting a republican nominee for president? guest: i do not think so.

the candidates who are interested in getting the washington vote are going to come here and they will campaign. they will learn the issues that are serious to the northwest. i think that this will also -- this may end up occurring in other states as well. host: the state is facing a $5 billion shortfall. by moving this into one single primary or caucus, how much will it say? guest: $10 million. host: that money is spent on the handling? guest: balltosots. printing, voting by mail. 3.6 million voters. host: katie blinn, part of the

washington state election office, joining us this morning. another headline we want to bring to your attention from "the washington post." as congress comes back from a district work period, the likelihood of a government shutdown rises after the talks falter. the president will be focusing on libya tomorrow at his speech at the national defense university but negotiations resuming between the house and senate leaders to try to come up with an agreement on a budget for this fiscal year which continues through the end of september. work will begin after that is completed on a debt ceiling and next year's budget. virgil from texas. good morning. caller: i have two comments. first, i would like to see us go to a regional primary system maybe 10 primaries across the country.

second, i would like to see us go to a six year presidential term with no real actions which would allow us to focus on the problems of the country and not getting reelected. host: tonight on c-span's "road to the white house," our conversation with likely gop candidates and rick santorum. >> when did you begin thinking about running for president? >> it continues to be a process. i just felt the need to get out there and mixed it up with the advent of obamacare and of what i saw what was happening in washington d.c. i felt like i had to get out there, and a gauge, and i am obviously not a tea party guy but the same motivation. i felt like this was a tipping point. but the government takeover of

the health-care system and american i was given it when my grandfather came to this country that place would no longer exist. i just went down and started talking and working on campaigns and talking to people run the country and trying to stir people up and provide a message. i got a lot of feedback saying, "hey, you should think about doing this again running for something." i kept going down the path. when i went to iowa, c-span actually covered my speech. other people started to pay attention and ask if i was running for president. i said i was just going around the country talking. i was in iowa, so i must be running for president. i kept going back to iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina because every time i did i got covered.

that's what i wanted. i wanted to be heard. host: republican rick santorum. this headline from "politico," saying states eye later primaries. next caller. caller: i found your show interesting. in michigan and in the last election cycle the democrats tried to do this. it kind of failed on us because the party did not follow what people in michigan wanted. my take on this is it might be a better system the parties got together and possibly go with almost like a blind draw. every state has a number in the hat, they call the number, that is when your primary is. it lessens the influences of the

state. host: and yet the new hampshire has in there by law that they are first in the nation regardless of a lottery or any other means. caller: here is the thing. this is a process for the parties, not the state. they choose their candidates from the primaries. it should be up to the parties themselves how to do this and not necessarily the states so that one state cannot influence one over the other. host: our last call from panama city fla., wednesday that once a primary earlier than other states. the morning of the republican line. caller: the last judgment -- the last gentleman and the woman from washington, i agree. i a mere republican because of the platform rather than the party which i do not think represents a platform anymore.

the last election cycle, i was not given a trace of who to vote for in the primary because of this going back-and-forth. as long as we hold these elections, these primaries, and they are funded by our tax dollars, i think it makes them a lot more subject to the fourth amendment which is not being honored if this state or that state goes first which is exactly whichat happened last cycle. i would not have voted for mccann. -- mccain. he would not have been my choice and i am not the only person who felt that way when several other candidates dropped out because of his success in the new england states. host: geraldine ferraro, as you know and did the man's club of

national politics passing away yesterday at the age of 75 after a 12-year battle with cancer. c-span covered her remarks as she accepted the nomination in the san francisco in 1984. >> tonight, the daughter of a woman who's the highest goal was a future for her children talks to our nation's oldest party about the future for us all. tonight, the daughter of working americans tells all americans that the future is within our reach if we are willing to reach for it. [applause] tonight, the daughter of an immigrant from italy has